


A Dragon's Heart

by DoodleGirl



Series: Haikyuu Dragon au [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternative Universe - Dragons, Dragons, Fluff, He Loves It, M/M, Modern Setting, Tsukki nerds out cause dragons are like dinos, Yamaguchi can turn into a dragon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-28
Updated: 2017-08-28
Packaged: 2018-12-21 03:10:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,398
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11935092
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DoodleGirl/pseuds/DoodleGirl
Summary: Tadashi has a secret.It's a secret not even Tsukkishima knows.A secret that has been kept in his family for generations.Tadashi isn't exactly human. Well, he's half human, but the other half is something only thought to exist in myths.Yamaguchi Tadashi is half dragon.





	A Dragon's Heart

**Author's Note:**

> My friend Anako, Anakito on Tumblr, made a fanart for this! 
> 
> You can view it here: 
> 
> http://anakito.tumblr.com/post/166154923343/3-kitkatemmy31-this-is-for-you-dragon

Tadashi has a secret. 

It's a secret not even Tsukishima knows. 

A secret that has been kept in his family for generations. 

Tadashi isn't exactly human. Well, he's half human, but the other half is something only thought to exist in myths. 

Yamaguchi Tadashi is half dragon. 

It all started hundreds of years ago. Apparently, his ancestors pissed off a witch, so she cursed their family name. Each son born of the Yamaguchi name was cursed to be a beast. Every month for two days, they would trasform into said beast. They'd lose all control and their humanity. 

However, as centuries past, the curse lifted a bit. Now, instead of forcefully turning every month, the individual could learn to control it. They were able to turn at will and maintain their humanity. Of course, that meant never turning and living a normal life. Some were able to control it more than others. 

Tadashi's father was born as half wolf. He has mastered control, and is able to turn into a very, very large wolf. His grandfather can turn into a five foot tall tarantula. Each male of his family had some sort of beast in them. For Tadashi, it was a dragon. 

You'd think being able to transform into a creature of legend would be awesome, but not when you're Tadashi. He can't fully control it yet, and has barely escaped situations that could have gone horribly wrong. Fortunately, he can sense when the dragon inside him is acting up, and can quickly excuse himself to hide and take care of the problem. 

He hates it. 

He hates the fact that he isn't fully human. Hates the monster inside him. He distanced himself from people, not wanting to accidentally be exposed. He endured the bullying, endured the pain, knowing full well if he fought back something bad would happen. He was honestly a coward. Pretty ironic, considering his other half was a dragon, a creature known for its destruction and violence. 

Tadashi tried to keep people from him, and it worked since he was a nobody. However, when a certain very tall blond came into his life, he decided he didn't want to be alone anymore. Now he has friends, real friends that he can trust, but not with his deepest secret. 

As a first year in high school, Tadashi was able to turn at will, but unable to fully stop himself from turning randomly. He had joined the volleyball team, and made new friends. He wished he could tell them about himself, but he wouldn't dare risk it. He knows what happens when you tell others about the curse. 

~~~~~~~

"Hey! Yamaguchi!" 

A voice startled Tadashi, causing him to jump in surprise. He turned around to see a mess of orange hair and a bright smile. Ah, just Hinata. Hinata waved as he ran over. 

"Good morning, Yamaguchi! Stingyshima not with you today?" Hinata said once he reached him. 

"It's Tsukishima. And no, he already went to class." 

"That's too bad. I wanted to know if I could barrow his English notes." 

Tadashi smiled. "You can barrow mine. I'm not as good as Tsukki, but he helped me so they should be good." 

Hinata beamed. "Really? Thanks, Yamaguchi! Man, you're the best." 

Tadashi blushed slightly and took out his notes, handing them to Hinata. "You're welcome. You should thank Tsukki, though, he's the one that helped me with this." 

Hinata tilted his head. "He sure does help you a lot with your homework. He even does it willingly! You two must be really _really_ close!" 

Tadashi blushed even harder. "Well, we _are_ childhood friends." 

Yeah, that's all they were. Very close childhood friends. Tadashi wanted something more, something closer, but he couldn't have it. He wouldn't want to put Tsukki through the troubles that were brought by him. Tadashi's mother had apparently learned about the curse after she gave birth to him. It's a miracle she stayed after learning what she had birthed. Tadashi didn't want to keep his family secret from someone he loved, but also didn't want to lose said person. 

Tadashi and Hinata went their separate ways to their separate classrooms as school began to start. The day went by smoothly, and before he knew it, it was time for practice. 

Tadashi walked into the gym with Tsukki at his side, like they always did. He was greeted by his teammates, went to go change, and came back ready to start. 

Nishinoya immediately came bounding over to him. "Hey, Yamaguchi! Want to practice your serves? I'll receive them!" He said with a wide grin. 

Tadashi smiled softly. "Okay." 

Tadashi thought he was getting better at his serves. He knew that they were nothing like before, but he couldn't tell if they were good. Having Nishinoya receive them told him if they were easy to receive or not. So far, the libero has returned all of them. Tadashi had started to lose hope, but his senpai told him that they were getting more and more difficult to receive. Tadashi couldn't wait until he perfected his serve. He wanted to make Tsukki proud. 

Speaking of Tsukki, Tadashi noticed that the blond was getting slightly taller and more muscular. Only he seemed to notice, not even Tsukishima himself noticed. Tadashi more than once found himself staring at Tsukishima's legs, arms, and the occasional stomach when his shirt rode up during a block. He was screwed. 

He wasn't sure if it was the dragon half of him that makes him feel this way, but Tadashi sometimes has urges. He gets the urge to grab Tsukishima and hold him close, and he even gets mad when others touch him. He wants to hide him away where no one but himself could have him. One could say he was possessive.  

And it honestly scared him. 

That's why Tadashi refuses to act on his feelings towards his best friend. He's happy with what he has now, but the dragon in him isn't. He's terrified that one day it'll take over him if he lets his feelings get too strong. 

Which is currently happening right now. Tadashi had taken a break from serving and was getting a drink. He was watching Tsukishima practice his spikes, and couldn't take his eyes off him. He just looked so beautiful. And yup, he was definitely getting some muscle. Tadashi could see the muscles in his legs strain as he jumped, his arms flexing slightly as his hand came in contact with the ball. 

Tadashi felt his face heating up, and he knew he was blushing. However, that wasn't the only thing heating up. It felt like someone lit a fire in Tadashi's chest. He froze, knowing full well what that meaned. 

He turned to his nearest senpai, Ennoshita. "I'm sorry, but I'm not feeling well. Please tell the captain that I'll be heading out." 

He tried to say it as calmly as possible, but there was a shake in his voice. Before Ennoshita could question him, he quickly hurried out of the gym. 

\---------------------------------

"Hey, what's wrong with Yamaguchi?" Hinata asked Tsukishima. 

The blond raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?" 

"Well, he just ran out suddenly. Maybe he really had to use the bathroom?" 

Kei turned to look put the gym doors, wondering where he went. Yamaguchi always told him first when he had to leave, so this was odd. It worried him. Kei threw the volleyball he was holding at Hinata and approached his captain. 

"Yamaguchi ran out, so I'm going to go look for him." He said, not mentioning that he was worried. 

Daichi nodded. "Be back soon. Good luck." 

Kei turned and headed out the door, squinting as sunlight blinded him. He first looked around to see if Yamaguchi didn't go far, but he was nowhere to be seen. Sighing, Kei started his search. 

About five or so minutes into his search, Kei suddenly heard a sound coming from the back of the school, which was just ahead. Strange, because no one was allowed back there except custodians when taking out the trash. It could be just an animal, but Kei couldn't know unless he looked. 

As he turned the corner, he immediately noticed a knocked over trash bin. That must have been what made the sound earlier. Father ahead in the corner, though, was a person. Kei recognized it as Yamaguchi and was about to confront him but stopped. 

Were those... scales? Kei hid behind the wall and peeked at his friend. Those were definitely scales on his arms and face. Yamaguchi looked like he was in distress, too. Kei watched as Yamaguchi's nails grew into claws, and his hands became even more scaly. He swore he could see horns peeking from underneath his hair. Just what was going on?!

Kei wanted to simultaneously run away and go closer. He chose to run away, being he turned around and not so calmly walked away. He was trying to comprehend exactly what he just saw. He wasn't sure if it was something Yamaguchi wanted him to know, but now he does. 

Kei put on his usual resting bitch face as he returned to the gym. 

"Did you find him?" Hinata was the first to ask. 

"He wasn't feeling well, so he went to the nurse." Kei lied. "He might be back, he might not." 

Hinata seemed satisfied with that answer because he went right back to practicing. Kei, however, was not satisfied. He was confused, worried, and slightly scared (although he'd never admit it). What was Yamaguchi hiding from him? It must be pretty big, because Yamaguchi tells Kei everything. 

What _was_ he?

\-----------------------------

Tadashi had gone home after his incident. He told his dad about it, ate dinner, then went to bed. He was always really tired and exhausted after trying to suppress a transformation.

The next day, something felt off. Tsukishima seemed to be avoiding Tadashi's gaze, and he talked less. Their walk to school was very awkward. Tadashi's thoughts were going a mile a minute thinking about what he did wrong to get the cold shoulder from Tsukki. 

At school, Tsukishima was just as quiet. Tadashi even noticed him messing with his fingers, a habit he does when something was on his mind or bothering him. Something was definitely up. 

The entire day went by with an awkward atmosphere around Tsukishima. Finally, Tadashi couldn't take it anymore. 

"Is everything alright, Tsukki?" He asked as they walked to the gym. 

Tsukishima seemed to tense up, but only slightly. "...yeah, but... we need to talk." 

Tadashi's face paled. What did he do? Whenever Tsukishima was like this, it was serious. Something serious was bothering Tsukki. Tadashi thought for sure it was because of something he did, but what?

"R-right..."

Practice came and went, his team asking him if he felt better. Tadashi smiled and nodded, claiming all he needed was a good sleep. Tsukishima seemed less focused during practice, which proved even further that something was bothering him. Tadashi was scared to find out what it was. 

Practice ended, and the team said their goodbyes. Tadashi and Tsukishima left without speaking a word to each other and made their way home. Tsukki didn't even say anything when he turned on his corner, parting ways with Tadashi. Tadashi got home and set down his bag, telling his mom where he was off too before heading back outside. 

Tadashi and Tsukishima had a secret place they used to go to as kids. It was a clearing in the woods, complete with one big tree and a river. They went there all the time, but nowadays it's just used for the occasional hang out or 'meeting' like this one. Tadashi knew to go there if Tsukki wanted to talk. 

The whole way there, Tadashi was shaking. He was terrified, terrified that he had done something to upset Tsukki and make him not want to be friends with him anymore. He almost started crying, but sucked it up as he entered the woods. 

Tsukishima was already there, waiting while listening to music. He noticed Tadashi and took off his headphones, placing his hands in his pockets. Tadashi shakily walked up to him and gulped. 

"S-so... what did y-you want to talk about?" 

Oh no, Tsukishima was making direct eye contact with him, good god this was serious. However, Tsukishima looked like he was having trouble speaking. It looked like he didn't know how to bring the topic up. 

"Well... you see..." Tsukishima rubbed the back of his neck and sighed. "What exactly are you?"

Oh my god. Tadashi wanted to cry, faint, and scream at the same time. He did back away, though, and even started to hyperventilate. Tsukishima's eyes widened and stepped forward. 

"Shit, that came out wrong. It's just... I saw you yesterday after you ran off. I had no idea what I was looking at, so I'd like an explanation." 

Tadashi started to cry then. His worst fear had come true, and now he was going to lose his best friend and crush. He fell to his knees and cried, unable to hold himself back. He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to see Tsukki, but couldn't look him in the eye anymore. 

"I-I'm sorry, I'm s-so sorry." Tadashi sobbed. 

"Don't be... if you think I'll leave you because of.. whatever this is, then you're wrong." Tsukishima's voice was soft. "Just... tell me what's happening." 

Tadashi nodded, but it took him awhile to calm down. Once he had stopped crying, he wiped his eyes and took a deep breath. 

"My family is a cursed family. Something about a witch, and being mad, and now the Yamaguchi name is cursed." Tsukishima had sat down by now, listening closely as Tadashi explained everything. 

"So that's why you had to hide yesterday. You can't control it yet." Tsukishima said. 

Tadashi nodded. 

"You never told me what your inner beast was." 

"...Dragon." 

\---------------------------

Kei couldn't believe what he was hearing, and he wouldn't have believed it if he hadn't seen it for himself. This was a lot to take in. 

"That explains the scales." 

Yamaguchi nodded. An awkward silence then fell apon them. "Can I see?" Kei asked, and Yamaguchi jumped. 

"W-what? You want to see?" 

Kei simply nodded. "Yeah. I'd like to see you as a dragon." 

On the inside, Kei was excited. Dragons were very close in appearance to dinosaurs, so he had liked them as a kid as well. To see a real life dragon would be absolutely amazing. 

"W-w-well... I guess... but please, promise me you won't leave me." Yamaguchi looked scared, and it made Kei's heart hurt. 

"I promise." 

Yamaguchi took a deep breath and stood up. "You'll want to stand back." Kei did as he was told. 

It started off slow. Kei watched as pale green scales started to spread all across Yamaguchi's body. He grew in size as his limbs began to change; his arms growing in length with fingers turning into wing membrane. Kei couldn't look away even if he tried. 

The shifting process took a couple minutes, but when it was done Kei couldn't believe his eyes. Yamaguchi was now a dragon the size of a large horse. His scales were a pale green, with black speckles on his snout, tail and back. He only had two legs, his arms now powerful wings. On top his head were two curved horns, and there were spikes along his tail. He was absolutely stunning. 

Kei found himself walking towards Yamaguchi, hand reaching for him. Yamaguchi flinched slightly, but allowed Kei to touch him. Running his hands along Yamaguchi's scales and wings, Kei couldn't get enough. This was hands down the coolest thing he's ever seen. 

"You're beautiful." 

If dragons could blush, Yamaguchi would probably be doing that right now. Instead, Kei felt his plated chest heat up considerably. This must be the equivalent of blushing.

Kei continued to inspect his friend, checking the sharpness of his spikes and the length of his tail. He was definitely a Wyvern species. He sort of looked like a giant raptor with wings instead of arms, which made Kei nerd out in his head. 

"Can you breathe fire?" He asked. 

**No. I never learned how to.**

Okay, that startled him. Yamaguchi was talking in his head. "You're just like a dinosaur..." Kei said under his breath, but it was apparently heard by Yamaguchi, because he snorted. 

"Can you fly?" 

**Yes.**

"Can I ride you?" 

The dragon jumped back, making a lot of noise. **W-what?!**

"I want to ride you. Will you let me ride you?" Kei asked.

Yamaguchi looked to the side, as if nervous. **Well... I guess? But we can't fly, I don't want anyone seeing me.**

Kei smiled slightly, satisfied. Yamaguchi crouched down to let Kei get on, the blond positioning himself in the most comfortable way he could get. Thankfully, there were no spikes where he sat. 

Good god, he was about to ride a dragon. 

\-------------------------

Tadashi had never been more nervous in his life. He was about to let his best friend and crush ride him as a dragon, something he never thought he'd ever do. With Tsukishima on his back, Tadashi felt hot and extremely nervous. However, he sucked it up. He wanted Tsukki to enjoy this. 

Very carefully standing up, Tadashi looked back at Tsukishima. The blond gave him a thumbs up, so he started to walk. He felt Tsukishima's grip on him tighten, which was understandable considering he was _riding a freaking dragon._

Once Tadashi thought Tsukki had a good grip, he started going faster. He ended up dashing through the woods, stepping over fallen logs and weaving around trees. His mood brightened, and he found himself having fun. He could smell Tsukishima, and the scent he was giving off said 'estatic'. 

Tadashi came to a field in between two forests, where there was lots of room to run. Civilization was a ways away, so as long as he stayed below the trees... 

Tadashi spread his wings, startling Tsukishima. Before he could think about what he was doing, instinct took over and he was suddenly off the ground. Tsukishima had his arms wrapped around Tadashi's neck by now, but he wasn't afraid. In fact, he was the happiest he's been since childhood. 

Tadashi flew across the field, staying low so he wouldn't be spotted. He felt like he needed to let something out to display his happiness, so he roared. It wasn't very loud, but it would still probably be heard somewhere. He heard Tsukishima laugh, and felt heat bubbling inside his chest again. If he was able to, Tadashi would be breathing fire right now. 

They spent half an hour just flying before Tadashi started to get tired. He told Tsukki before carefully landing. Apparently, it wasn't as carefully as he thought, because Tsukishima fell off him and onto some flowers. 

**TSUKKI!!**

"Jesus, Yamaguchi. You're so loud, even when it's in my head." Tsukishima sat up and rubbed his back. 

**Sorry, Tsukki. Are you okay?**

"Yeah, I'm fine. That was amazing..." Tsukishima fell back down into the flowers, looking up at the sky. 

Tadashi started turning back, the process being quicker than before. When he was back to his human self, he lied down next to Tsukishima and exhaled, smiling. 

"It sure was amazing. I'm glad you don't hate me after seeing what I am..." Tadashi blushed, looking away. 

Tsukishima sat up and turned to face his friend. "Did you really think I'd leave you? We've been together for a long, long time. Something like this wouldn't scare me away. And besides, I could never hate you."

Oh my god, was that... was that a blush? Tsukishima Kei was blushing?! And, oh, he's leaning closer and...

Tadashi's brain shortwired. He was being kissed. He was being kissed by his best friend. By his crush. Tadashi teared up and wrapped his arms around Tsukki's neck, awkwardly trying to kiss him back. When they pulled away, he started to sob. 

"I'm so happy... so, so very happy." He clutched Tsukishima's shirt. 

Kei held Tadashi close, smiling. "So am I." 

Yamaguchi Tadashi was having the best moment of his life. He didn't expect to be confessed to, and he certainly didn't expect confessing his secret. Of all the ways this could have gone, this way was the best.

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave kudos and comments if you enjoyed! They make my day ^_^


End file.
